Real Salt Lake Front Office, Coaching Staff Deserves Another Year At The Helm

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Real Salt Lake has one more fixture on their 2020 calendar, however, the club and the brains of the operation has most likely already begun preparations for the 2021 campaign.

Last Sunday, RSL lost to the LA Galaxy 2-1 and was consequently eliminated from any playoff contention. The final game of the season upcoming against Sporting Kansas City will be a final attempt that evokes pride and humility back to a club that has been dismantled by a constant barrage of off-field scandals and distraction.

The year 2020 has been absurd for RSL, for multiple reasons, the constant unknown of when the club will play next, combined with a pandemic, and most importantly, an owner who revealed his true character during a period in time where civil unrest was lofty.

You could make a case that the drama surrounding the club took a toll on the players and staff as their late-season form, or lack thereof suggested.

Furthermore, the drama surrounding the club is nothing new for them. Rather, the past handful of seasons has been filled with misconduct and improprieties that have involved high profile characters throughout the organization.

Most notably, former head coach Mike Petke who was ultimately fired in 2019 for using language that was not deemed appropriate following a Leagues Cup loss to Tigres in July of 2019.

#RSL manager Mike Petke suspended for three Leagues Cup matches, a total of three #MLS matches, fined $25k, and ordered to attend anger management classes for "unacceptable and offensive language" directed at referees in Leagues Cup. Also suspended by RSL for 2 weeks w/out pay. pic.twitter.com/p0kotIJQsf

— Jeff Carlisle (@JeffreyCarlisle) July 30, 2019

The functionality of the business has been neglected culminating in a catastrophic fall that has resulted in RSL becoming one of the laughing stocks of Major League Soccer.

The front office, which generally relies on a number of clever and creative soccer minds, has been dwindled to just four individuals headlined by General Manager Elliot Fall. The budget is nonexistent due to the impending sale, making the job impossible for Fall and his team to improve the squad.

The coaching staff, led by Freddy Juarez, was tasked with maintaining the locker room despite the mayhem that was materializing just outside the doors.

It was evident, despite the constant neglect, that the players and staff were having a difficult time computing the madness. The previous two games were a great example of that. The urgency and intent required to win soccer matches in MLS were nowhere to be seen.

Whenever new ownership takes control, it would be easy for them to take a brief look at how 2020 unfolded and clean slate.

However, that would be dishonorable to the staff that had to endure the darkest days in the club’s history.

Rather than axing employees, the club must add clever and proven commodities to both the front office and coaching staff. They need more help. A legitimate budget where the owner adheres to his or her own guidelines would be a nice start.

The organization has the minds and the vision to bring the once-proud club back to the glory days if more help is presented.

The front office and coaching staff deserves another chance to recoup the passion and energy of the fanbase while visibly moving the club forward through climbing the Western Conference standings in 2021.

For what they have had to endure, they warrant at least one more year of job security.

Final Fixture

RSL’s final fixture will occur on Sunday, November 8th with kickoff against Sporting Kansas City scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

You can stream the game for free on sports.ksl.com or by downloading the KSL 5 TV app.